SEA-3250-LT: Innovation in Offshore Wind Installations

By Greg TrauthweinOctober 19, 2017

The SEA-3250-LT is a dedicated low CAPEX wind turbine installation solution for the emerging U.S. offshore wind market. (Image: GustoMSC)

(Image: GustoMSC)

GustoMSC is targeting the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind energy market with an innovative jack-up design that it claims will help to reduce risk and increase efficiency when installing units offshore: the SEA-3250-LT installation jack-up.

Designed to be a safe, stable and solid platform to lift these heavy, delicate components to heights of more than 426 ft (130 m) in an area where technicians are performing assembly tasks at the same time. GustoMSC plays a pioneering role in the offshore wind installation market, delivering designs and equipment for a wide range of jack-up and other vessels responsible for close to 80 percent of the installations within this market.

Meet the SEA-3250-LT

The SEA-3250-LT is a dedicated low CAPEX wind turbine installation solution for the emerging U.S. offshore wind market. It is a rationalized jack-up design, peeled down to the essence of safe and efficient wind installation. Additional features, such as large accommodation and own propulsion that increase construction costs, weight and construction time, have been omitted. The SEA-3250-LT utilizes an efficient, lightweight hull construction in order to maximize variable load capacity: it can carry one to two of the largest turbines while under way to the installation site. The relatively simple and straightforward design can be adopted by multiple U.S. shipyards without big risks, and can therefore be built Jones Act compliant at a competitive price. This non-propelled design meets the required technical capabilities for wind turbine installation in the U.S. for a minimum investment, thus reducing investment risk in this developing market.

The design comprises a proven GustoMSC hydraulic “Pin in Hole” jacking system capable of the large number of jacking moves required for offshore wind turbine installation. An 882 sht (800 mt) pedestal crane, fitted with a boom of approx. 328 ft (100 m), enables the installation of the latest generation of 8 to 9.5 MW turbines and foundations. In the case of foundations exceeding the capabilities of this crane, the unit can serve as a Jones Act compliant feeder solution to a larger foreign vessel. The SEA-3250-LT is designed to operate in the typical environmental conditions of the U.S. NE-coast and in water depths of up to 148 ft (45 m).

Its large payload and large free deck area the SEA-3250-LT makes it a very versatile unit, capable of executing projects in the civil construction, oil and gas, decommissioning and maintenance fields, alongside wind farm installation work. Furthermore the jack-up can be upgraded with a full accommodation block and its own propulsion. This versatility, and the flexibility to adapt to future demands, reduces the investment risk to a minimum.